Chapter 37

Aurelio~

Savina was lying on the bed, wearing only my shirt, and if I could keep her like this forever, I would. However, because I knew that I couldn't, while Savina had been in the shower, I had called Carlo to imposition his wife again. I'd given her a hundred-thousand dollars and Savina's sizes to go buy her some clothes first thing in the morning, and I had also thrown in another fifty-thousand dollars for her time. Now, while she would have done it for free, her husband worked for the family, not her.

I also knew that the death of Ashton Oliver would be all over the place by tomorrow-if not already-so Savina didn't need to be out and about, even if she was safe here. The press had free reign of the land, so they were everywhere, no matter which territory the story was taking place.

"You need to get some rest," I told her as my hand traced a path up and down her bare thigh.

"Trust me, I'm not trying to stay awake," she murmured. "I'm tired as hell."

Just then, her phone started ringing in her purse, and we both eyed each other, wondering who in the hell would be calling her so late at night. Not to mention, it was her burner phone, so no one should have her number besides me and the police. Granted, with the way that the police weren't on her side, they could have given it out, and I wouldn't be surprised if they'd had. Again, they had no choice but to side with Congressman Oliver.

"Stay right there," I told her as I got up to go grab her phone for her.

When I pulled it out of her purse, I didn't recognize the number, but the area code was a familiar one. So, it was either the police calling her, or else Stewart Oliver had gotten her number. Honestly, with the exception of Ashton's mother or brother, I couldn't think of who else would phone her this late at night, especially after everything that'd just happened.

I handed Savina the phone, then told her, "Put it on speaker."

She nodded before swiping to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Savina, this is Stewart Oliver," came a hardened voice on the other end.

"How…how did you get this number?"

"Really?" he bit out. "In case you're unaware, the police are a political entity that work for the state, Savina. When I explained to Detective Lakelet that I needed to speak with you, he was accommodating enough to give me your new phone number."

"Did he also explain that it's probably not a good idea for us to be speaking to one another?" she replied coolly.

"He did," Stewart admitted. "However, he's not the one mourning a dead son, so he's hardly in a place to give me advice on what's best right now."

I watched Savina let out a steady breath. "What do you want, Stewart."

"I'd like for us to meet," he said, and Savina's head reared back in surprise. "We need to talk, and I think that it'd be best if we did that without the benefit of lawyers or the police."

"We don't need to talk," Savina corrected him, and I couldn't help but feel proud of her, though it wasn't my place. She'd always been strong, but I liked how the Olivers were finally seeing it.

"Are you so confident that you won't be going to prison, then?" he replied like a man that knew how much power he wielded.

"Pretty," Savina retorted.

"You killed my son," Stewart bit out. "You owe me this meeting."

"I don't owe you a goddamn thing," she fired back. "You knew what Ashton was doing to me, and you did nothing about it."

"Exactly what would you have had me do, Savina?" he shot back. "Sacrifice my eldest son for you?" He scoffed like the idea was positively ludicrous. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Nevertheless, we have nothing to talk about," she repeated.

"That's where you're wrong," he replied confidently.

"I'm not interested," she said, her voice sounding strong.

"I still have that video of Councilman Bustamente," he said, pissing me off in the process. "Do you really want a video like that getting around, Savina?"

When Savina's eyes cut to mine, I said, "I'm going to fucking gut you, Congressman."

There was a moment of pause, and it was obvious that we'd caught him off guard. Savina must have really played her part well for everyone to believe that she was ignorant and weak. Luckily for her, being underestimated was probably the best thing for her right now.

"Even you can't be so stupid as to threaten a US Congressman, Mr. Provenza," Stewart finally said. "You're not that powerful."

"That's where you're wrong," I replied, doing my best to tamp down my anger.

"Does Mr. Sartori agree with that?" he asked, trying to goad me but having no idea just how close Nero and I were.

"Well, you'll have your answer when my knife is slicing you from navel to nose," I told him.

Ignoring that, he said, "I just need to speak with Savina."

"It's up to her if she wants to speak with you," I said. "However, I'll be with her, and you'll need to leave that safe and cushy office of yours to do it."

"I can't be seen in Sartori territory," he huffed, clearly offended by the very idea.

"Then you won't be speaking with Savina," I retorted.

"We can meet on Holland Street," he suggested. "It's neutral territory."

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully, Stewart," I said. "If you want to speak with Savina, it will be here, and I will be with her when you do meet with her."

He was quiet for a second, but then finally said, "Where do you want to meet?"

"I'll text you the address," I informed him.

"It'll have to be in the evening, and the place has to be private," he stated. "I cannot be seen over there."

"Yeah, we heard you the first time," I drawled out. "I'll send you the time when I send you the address."

With that, I hung up on the motherfucker, then looked over at Savina. Luckily, she didn't look upset or scared. She looked pensive, and I knew that she was thinking about his threat to make good on releasing that fake footage of me killing Jorge Bustamante. While the case was still unsolved, he'd said it himself that the police were always on his side, and as far as the hierarchy went, US Congressmen outranked city councilmen.

"Are you okay?"

"Even if it can be proven that you were in California, people don't care about the truth, Aurelio," she said. "There will be people that will believe the video because their stupid or prefer sensationalism over facts."

"He's not going to release that tape, Savina," I assured her. "He'd kick off a war that he doesn't have enough firepower to fight."

"Are you sure about that?"

Just then, my phone rang, and when I saw Nero's name on the screen, I answered it. "What's up?"

"Kasen's gone into labor," he announced, and four words had never sounded so fucking sweet. Maybe now he'd quit losing his fucking mind.

"Where are you guys now?"

"Leaving for the hospital," he said. "I've already called ahead."

"We'll meet you there," I told him.

"See you in a few."

We hung up, then I looked back over at Savina. "Kasen's in labor."

For the first time in a long time, I saw a genuine smile reach across her beautiful face. "How exciting."

"We need to-"

"I don't belong there, Aurelio," she said. "Even if Nero accepts me as yours, I've been gone a long time." She shook her head. "I shouldn't be there."

Unfortunately, she was right. While Nero trusted me with his life, Kasen didn't know Savina like that, and the birth of the next Sartori heir was one that needed a limited audience. Though security was going to be tight as fuck, the less people there, the better. It was an honor to be included, and Savina hadn't earned that right yet.

"Promise me you're going to get some rest?"

She nodded. "I promise."

"I love you, Savina."

"I know you do, Aurelio," she replied. "I'm…I'm not going anywhere."

A part of me wondered if I'd ever fully believe that again.